


Of Hair Sticks and Beginnings

by Tahlruil



Series: Ginny and Jamie [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, At Least Bucky Thinks So, Awesome Pepper Potts, Bucky's Good With Hair, Crushes, F/M, Hair Braiding, Hair Sticks Suck, He Has Sisters Okay, How Do I Tag, Nicknames, POV Bucky Barnes, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Slash, Science Nerd Bucky Barnes, Secret Science Nerd Pepper Potts, Steve Rogers is a Troll, WinterHeels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 13:02:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11692194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tahlruil/pseuds/Tahlruil
Summary: Visits to Stark Tower usually start out on a hectic note - dealing with the crowds in the lobby is never Bucky's idea of a good time. But when he spots an unexpected face milling about with the masses, he's pretty sure his day is about to get better... or at least more interesting. Pepper - Ginny - is a pretty fun lady to hang out with, even if she and Stevie still aren't 100% yet. So what could possibly go wrong with sharing an elevator with her and helping her fix her hair?





	Of Hair Sticks and Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Okay. So. XD This takes place in my 'Loving You is Easy (It's Life That's Hard)' series. It should stand pretty well on it's own, though anyone who hasn't might want to take a brief look-see at the last two fics if they want some background on Ginny and Jamie's relationship.
> 
> I cannot get this pairing out of my head. XD And I am stealing Bill_Longbow's name for this ship. WinterHeels for the win! Please send me some prompts for them on my Tumblr - they're gonna be who I write between working on my other stuff for a while. I know it's a rare pair, but it's my new favorite. Sorry, not sorry.
> 
> Maybe gimme a comment if you like it? :'D

The lobby of Stark Tower was a fucking madhouse - what else was new? Unless he showed up at some God-forsaken hour late into the night or early in the morning, it was always buzzing with activity. Showing up at five in the afternoon had been _extremely_ poor planning on his part, and if he didn't know that JARVIS had seen him and probably told Stevie and Tony he'd showed up, Bucky would absolutely just turn around and walk away. He didn't want to wade through a sea of office workers, scientists and bustling construction workers - something in the tower always seemed to need fixing, which Bucky found sort of fascinating. Were they blowing stuff up in the labs all the time? Did they have secret robot wars that destroyed parts of the building? Did they just have a handful of employees that were constantly redecorating?

He didn't know, but he'd sure as shit love to find out.

Tony and Stevie, the assholes, had their own private entrance - one keyed to their hand prints or eyeballs or something like that. He'd never asked before to be allowed to come up that way... but maybe he needed to. Because while he was currently just irritated with people in general and annoyed at himself for not planning this better, some days were a lot worse. Some days he looked across the seemingly endless stretch of marble floors to where the elevator bank was, and getting there felt absolutely impossible. If he asked, Tony would probably put him into the private elevator system... but on the flip side, he might just hire muscle-heads to stand constant guard at the doorway, always on the lookout for him and ready to escort him across the floor, shoving other people out of the way like Bucky was some sort of celebrity. It was hard to tell - Tony was kinda funny like that sometimes.

Staring at the crowd wouldn't make it thin any. Not at fucking five, and he was such an idiot. Taking a deep breath, he started forward into the fray. Most people seemed kind of put off by his expression and gave him a berth wide enough that they didn't touch him. Tasha was right - resting bitch face was sometimes a blessing. Other people didn't seem to give a shit, and he respected that. They were the ones who bumped shoulders with him lightly, muttering an 'excuse me' that was as perfunctory and insincere as the one he offered. He didn't mind that, honestly. This was New York City, there was a ton of people, and sometimes you banged into them. He preferred the ones who were too jaded to make a scene out of it. Having to spend five minutes calming down some asshole who just kept apologizing and asking if he was okay and God they didn't see him and was there anything they could do... it was exhausting and way more annoying, in his opinion.

Thankfully there wasn't anyone like that in Stark Tower's lobby, or if there were they stayed the hell away from him. The biggest kerfuffle he was involved in was the fault of a trailing electrical cord that he tripped over, then stopped to help the construction worker tuck under his arm more securely. They didn't talk, just lifted their chins at each other in a show of stoic solidarity. That was Bucky's kind of guy - if they ever met at a bar, he'd definitely buy that guy a beer.

When he got closer to the elevator bank, which was the craziest part of the whole floor, he was surprised to find someone he recognized in the crush. It was impossible to miss Pepper Potts - she stood a few inches above even most men, thanks to heels Bucky would break his neck trying to walk in. Her fiery hair was a dead give-away too; he didn't need the half-fearful, half-awed expression on the employees around her to know who she was. She was ignoring them all, a scowl on her face that made him feel gleefully sorry for whoever had put it there. Bucky sure as hell wouldn't want to be on her hit list, but he'd sort of love to see her unleash hell on any poor sap who did manage to get there. He should probably go say hi to her, or let her know he was there somehow... but for the moment he was content to watch.

As she waited for her turn in the elevator, she was digging in her briefcase and muttering to herself - her movements were rough and lacked her usual grace, making a smile tug at his lips. When a strand of red hair escaped the complicated twist it was in, she blew it away once, then twice; it happened a third time and she tossed her head back as she gave a loud huff. Apparently whatever she was looking for was too important for her to spare a hand to fix the problem, or maybe she was just in a mood where she needed to be irritated at something concrete. Sometimes it was better to bitch and whine about something small rather than just fix it and have to focus on the actual problem.

Pepper blew it away a fourth and fifth time, her shoulders getting tighter with every puff of air. When he noticed that other SI employees were starting to edge away and that one toe of her (probably way too expensive) shoes began to tap the floor, he decided to intervene. As one group filed out of the elevators to let another group on and he and Pepper got closer to the head of the line, Bucky slipped through the crowd to stand at her side. She still seemed oblivious to his presence - or maybe just to the fact that it was him, because her toe had started to tap a bit harder as soon as he'd gotten there.

Hoping to avoid her socking him in the nose, when Bucky reached out and smoothed that rebellious strand of hair back, he also leaned in to murmur in her ear. "Hey Ginny - try to calm down, would ya? All your employees look scared shitles." Pepper had indeed startled, but didn't even try to take a swing at him; she was composed even when she was clearly upset, which was sort of admirable. She swung her head to look at him, relaxing a little when she saw that it really was him.

"Jamie." He really would prefer 'Bucky' but her nickname was starting to grow on him too. A little. "I didn't realize... are you here to visit Steve and Tony?"

"That or follow the construction crews to figure out what the fuck you guys keep breaking." Pepper gave a quiet laugh and the air of angry tension around her started to dissipate. Encouraged, Bucky kept going, ignoring the way the people around them were staring in shock. "If I find out your company has been hosting an illegal robot fighting ring that brings down walls or something and you didn't tell me, Virginia Potts, we're gonna have a problem." Her next laugh was louder, her shoulders shaking enough to bring that damn strand of hair tumbling down again - this time it brought a few friends.

"Oh for the love of-" Grinning, he put a finger to her mouth to quiet her, then took gentle hold of her upper arm. Her eyes were wide and there was a faint blush on her cheeks - Bucky ignored it all in favor of towing her to the front of the line. "What are you doing? There's a line!"

"Yeah, well, you're the CEO," he pointed out, glowering at the few people who tried to protest before they realized who was with him. "What's the point of dealing with all the bullshit that comes with the title if you don't also enjoy some of the perks?" Bucky turned to give her a roguish grin, only to see her rolling her eyes at him. He rolled his own right back in an exaggerated parody, sending her into a fit of giggles. That kept her distracted long enough for him to get her in an elevator - when others tried to follow, he held out a hand and gave them a stern look. "Ms. Potts needs to get up to her office as soon as possible - we can't be stopping on every floor. Sorry for the inconvenience." 

Pepper... Ginny only stared at him until the elevator doors closed, when she swatted his prosthetic arm; he only lifted a brow at her, completely unfazed. "I didn't need your help, Jamie! I'm just headed up to my office to drop off a few things and then I'm going to see Tony. I'm not in a hurry at all!" She kept smacking him but didn't think to switch arms, so he gave a patient sigh before pointing to the interface that controlled where the elevator was going.

"The longer you take to do that, the longer people are gonna have to wait. Bet I'm not authorized to take us to your office." Because there weren't buttons, but a fancy scanner that Bucky was kind of enamored with. Usually people used their SI or visitors badges, which would take them right to their designated floors; they could also choose a general floor from the touchscreen if they were headed somewhere different. Bucky used his flesh hand, which only got him access to the floor where he would switch to a different elevator that would take him to Tony and Steve's floors. It was futuristic and cool and pretty useful - not as great as JARVIS, but nothing really was.

Ginny slapped her hand down on the scanner while huffing at him, which only served to make him smile a little wider. He did like winding people up, and she was pretty fun once she let go of her 'CEO of a VERY important company' persona and was just a regular person. "Don't think I'm done yelling at you, because I'm not." He knew she wasn't really all that mad, and her scowl was ruined by all those tendrils hanging in her face, but he still tried his best to look repentant.

"Sorry. You can yell - I'mma fix your hair while you do." Ginny's brow furrowed and her lips pursed in confusion, but he didn't wait for her to ask him to clarify. He slid behind her and, with a few deft movement, had her hair falling in a ginger cloud to just below her shoulders.

"What are you _doing_?" Her voice sounded a little strangled, but Bucky figured that was just the surprise.

"I have three younger sisters and a ma who killed herself working to keep us fed - I learned quick how to do hair since it meant she didn't have to. Trust me, I've got this covered. You can start yelling - it won't bother me." He put the stupid sticks (he hated them, he missed scrunchies, jaw clips and bobby pins) that had been in her hair in his mouth to free up both hands. Bucky took a few seconds to be extremely thankful he'd been accepted into the trial for prosthetic limbs that he had; extreme care had been taken to make sure his metal hand was as dexterous as his real one. He couldn't do this if that weren't the case, and that would have been a crying shame.

Because then Ginny's hair would keep bothering her. Of course.

She was quiet as his hands slid into her hair, getting a handle on the way it worked. After ruffling it up and smoothing it back down a few times, he was pretty sure he knew what he wanted to do. Her hair was so fine though... he wished he had more to work with than these stupid stic- God, he was an idiot. Rolling his eyes at his own stupidity, he reached back and took his own hair down, keeping the elastic safe on his fingers as he went back to Ginny's soft, beautifully colored hair. Bucky's movements were sure and swift, and after a few moments Ginny started to talk again.

"I don't need you to do my hair any more than I needed you to get me to an elevator." Now Bucky was rolling his eyes at _her_ again - he was lucky she couldn't see, or she'd probably start smacking him again. "I have been doing both things for most of my life without any assistance from you, James Barnes-"

"Ah ah ah!" He stopped fiddling with her hair long enough to yank the sticks out of his mouth. "Foul, Ginny. Pulling out a Yellow Card on your ass. One more and you don't get to yell at me for the rest of the night." The woman huffed at him in what he thought might be an attempt not to laugh, crossing her arms over her chest as best she could with that annoyingly bulky briefcase in one hand. "Alright. Go on." Bucky told her magnanimously, a grin tugging at his lips before he wrapped them around the sides of those dumb sticks again.

"You are insane. I have to be able to use your full name when I'm yelling at you! That's just how it's done in civilized parts of the world, Jamie. But fine. The bigger issue is you just... just deciding that I needed your help. I didn't. And when I'm not in a hurry, I _like_ to ride with the other employees. I want them to see that I'm one of them-" Bucky's eyes just about rolled out of his head at that, but he managed not to snort in disbelief, so that was a win. She'd probably have gone right to a Red Card if it had escaped. "And also make it clear that I'm not trying to abuse my power. I don't need an elevator all to myself or... or to move to the head of the line just because I can, and... and what are you doing to my hair?"

Bucky stored the knowledge that Ginny seemed to get real distracted when he was playing with her hair. He had a feeling her rant would be way more scathing and a hell of a lot more eloquent if he wasn't distracting her like this. If he ever really pissed her off, he was going right for her ginger locks. "'M do'n-ah..." God, he fucking hated hair sticks. He had to bend down to carefully deposit the sticks in one hand without ruining his work or letting the weave of it go lax. "I'm doing a fishtail braid. Your hair's too fine for these damn sticks. If you have to wear 'em, get thinner, lighter ones. Now stop askin' me question I gotta answer, or your hair'll be all kinds of messed up." Again he had to contort himself, this time to take the sticks back into his mouth. Ginny caught him in the act, peering over her shoulder with wide eyes that turned to a playfully-mocking arched brow.

"You really must have done your sisters' hair," He made an indignant sound at the thinly-veiled accusation that he'd been lying, but she only laughed at him. "Sorry. I don't really know much about how to do my hair," she admitted, giving a soft sigh. "I was never... well. I was kind of an ugly duckling through grade school and most of college." The next noise he made was one of disbelief; he couldn't picture her as anything but the elegant, graceful, beautiful woman he'd met a little more than a year ago now. She laughed again, but this time there was something a little self-deprecating about it. "No, it's true. I was too tall and too thin, with braces and terrible hair and skin... I was never very comfortable with myself, so I didn't fuss with my hair too much. Basic ponytails were the order of the day. I guess I could hire someone to do my hair and makeup now, but that just seems so... pretentious for everyday." He grunted in agreement, fingers making quick work of the last few inches of braid. "I don't mind hiring someone for big events, but otherwise I'd rather just muddle through on my own." He tied off her braid, then pulled those damned sticks out of his mouth.

"Don't blame ya. Just stop with these fucking sticks. Hell, if you really wanna wear 'em, I'll show you the ones Rebecca likes to use-"

"Becca and Bucky?" Maybe he couldn't see her face, but he could just imagine the smirk she was probably wearing.

"Second Yellow Card - you're outta the game, Potts." Her laugh blended perfectly with the chime that announced they'd reached their destination, so Bucky wasn't really all that irritated. "Shouldn't show you shit now," he grouched anyway as he ushered her out of the elevator - he needed to keep up appearances.

"Jamie!" Bucky hadn't ever heard her sound _whiney_ before, and he thought maybe she’d picked up some of Tony's bad habits over the years. "I'm sorry - please share your hair knowledge - I'm absolutely hopeless." He moved from behind her to walk at her side, and when she looked up at him to give a pleading smile, her eyes went a little wide again. "Oh! Your hair!" Reaching back, she grabbed the edge of her braid and pulled it over her shoulder, fingering the elastic lightly. "You didn't have to do that, Jamie. I know you like having your hair up off your neck." It was something he'd bitched about before when they were out as a group - he hadn't known she'd listened and would _remember_.

"Eh." His shrug was as careless as his tone, and then he grinned when he held the hair sticks in front of her nose. "I can use these babies just fine." With the ease of someone who'd spent years practicing on his own hair to keep his baby sisters happy, Bucky put his hair up in a casual bun, the sticks the only thing keeping it perfectly in place. "My hair can support 'em," he told her smugly, chuckling as he evaded her swatting hand. "Aww, jealous Ginny?"

"That is so unfair," the woman mourned, glaring at him. "You even look better in them than I do. Your sisters were lucky to have you." While they talked, they'd reached the door at the end of the hallway - he pulled it open for her with a teasing bow, enjoying the way her lips pursed even though she did walk in ahead of him. "Hello Mandy."

"Ms. Potts, hello. I have a few messages for you, none of them urgent," Ginny's secretary had a crisp, no-nonsense voice and brown eyes that were unimpressed when she looked Bucky over. He gave her his most wolfish grin, and she only sniffed a dismissal. "I moved your dinner meeting with Mr. Randolf and Mrs. Quinton to Wednesday night, and Miss Trobiani has asked if you might be willing to do a lunch meeting on Thursday, as she is unavailable Wednesday."

"That'll be fine Mandy, thank you." Reaching into her briefcase, Ginny pulled out a folder and handed it over. "Please have these copied and sent to the parties I've noted - they need to be signed and dated before Tuesday. If there are any questions, they can contact one of our attorneys at the number provided."

"Yes Ms. Potts. Anything else?"

"You said the messages weren't urgent?"

"Nothing that can't wait until the morning. Oh! That young Peter Parker came by again."

" _Again_?"

"Mmm. Asked if we wouldn't reconsider letting him resign - I really think you ought to find a way to get Mr. Stark down to see him. He's still so upset, poor boy. I gave him my pudding." Ginny sighed, looking equal parts amused and frustrated.

"Mr. Parker refuses to come up to the penthouse, and Steve still isn't willing to let Tony go anywhere beyond it, unless they're going to a doctor's appointment. Rightfully so - Tony isn't as healed as he'd like us to think... but I'll see what I can do. Now." Ginny sent Mandy a winning smile, one that was returned without hesitation by her secretary. "I am going to drop this briefcase off and grab my bag, and then I am leaving early. Feel free to do the same once those copies are done." She turned on her heel to start for her office door, then half-turned and pointed to Bucky. "Watch him for me, will you?"

"Of course, Ms. Potts." Mandy's voice was perfectly pleasant, but her eyes were keen as they went to Bucky faster than a whip-crack. He held up his hands, surrendering the battle before it even really began. Her expression didn't soften in the slightest, and it just figured that Pepper fucking Potts would have a junior ball-buster as her personal secretary. He didn't even try to make conversation, just sort of ambled around with his hands behind his back, pretending to appreciate the art - Stevie'd be all over that shit, but he wasn't super into examining the craft projects of dead men. So sue him. Even though Mandy had gone back to work, Bucky knew that she was looking over at him every couple seconds - her gaze held the chilly weight of a death shroud.

It was a fucking relief when Ginny finally came out into the receiving room, and he hurried over and offered her his arm. "Ginny," he greeted before leaning in and stage-whispering. "Your secretary is terrifying. Save me!" She started to laugh as she took his arm, bag slung over her left shoulder. When they passed by Mandy's desk, saying goodnight, he thought she looked rather proud of herself - Bucky sent her a wink that turned her expression back to stone. As soon as they were back in the elevator, Bucky turned to Ginny, keeping his expression serious. "I don't mean to worry you, but I think your secretary might be a descendant of Medusa."

That drew peals of laughter from her, enough that she ended up leaning against him for support. He couldn't say he minded all that much. "Oh Jamie," she finally murmured, wiping at her eyes carefully - probably to avoid smudging her eye makeup. "I have to tell her you said that. She'll be so pleased."

"Jesus. She's gonna find out where I live and knife me in the spleen or some shit."

"Mandy is wonderful. She can handle Tony at his most charming without batting an eyelash. Once, when I was out with the flu for almost two weeks, she got Tony to sign _paperwork_. Multiple times." Bucky, who'd heard all about Ginny's battles to get Tony to sign anything, gave that statement the low whistle it deserved. "I am never letting her go. I don't care what I have to pay her, she is staying at SI." The elevator only had a floor to go before depositing them on the floor where they would switch to the private elevator. Ginny strolled off and smiled, though she didn't look at the ceiling like he and Stevie still tended to. "Good afternoon, JARVIS."

"Good afternoon Ms. Potts, Mr. Bucky."

"Hey J." God, he'd known the AI for over a year, and he still got giddy as a schoolgirl over the fact. Bucky'd fallen into the same casual way Tony talked to JARVIS in an effort to hide that, but he sometimes got the sense that it wasn't working too well. "Can you let Stevie and Tony know we're coming up? And they better not be kissin' when we get there."

"I will of course alert them to your presence," JARVIS told him pleasantly before giving a sound like a sigh. "But I believe Sir would take your statement as a challenge, so I think I will keep the sentiment to myself."

"That's an excellent idea, JARVIS," Ginny agreed warmly. "And could you please place my regular order with Buddha Bodai, please, and let Tony and Steve know so they can order if they want. Jamie, do you want anything?" Bucky let JARVIS know what he wanted as they rode up the final few floors to the penthouse. "Are you staying over?" she asked him suddenly just before they arrived.

"Haven't decided yet - depends on if I get drunk," Bucky told her honestly, shrugging. "Don't have work, and Tony made me up a guest room that is now _my_ room and filled it with clothes and shit even when I told him not to, so I try to use it every once in awhile."

"Ah. He does that," she agreed with an airy chuckle. "I have my own _floor_."

"Shit. Like Stevie's?"

"Sort of. Mine is more geared toward relaxation - Tony thinks I'm too stressed. I used to stay a lot on weekends, or on nights when Tony, Rhodey and I would watch movies and eat takeout." The 'before Steve' went unsaid, but it sat heavily between them. "I do spend the night there sometimes still!" she hurried to add, cheeks rosy red with embarrassment. "I didn't mean... they're just so... so couple-y." Her nose wrinkled in that cute way it sometimes did, but her expression also held a hint of longing. "It's hard when I'm there and I'm just me while they're over on another couch being a 'them'." Bucky's instinctual protectiveness of Steve was soothed by her explanation. The two had their problems, sure, and most of Ginny's reservations were justified, but still. He wasn't gonna let her suggest even idly that Stevie was 'stealing' Tony from her.

"No, I get it. They are very intense with the couple thing. It's like they're constantly on a honeymoon despite being married for seventy years."

"That's exactly it! I never knew how to describe it to other people, but yes. It's so adorable and infuriating, and I'm just... not always good at dealing with it when I'm by myself." The confession was made softly as she stared ahead at the doors, and Bucky felt for her. He slung his arm around her shoulders and dragged her against his side.

"Well fuck. I'll stay until you leave then Ginny. I'd hate to leave anyone alone in third-wheel hell." Just as he finished the sentence, those doors opened - he got the feeling JARVIS had been holding them until they had mostly finished their conversation. "I usually drink to handle it. Come on - let's go find the old married couple and tease the shit out of 'em." She let him steer her into the living room, where Tony and Stevie were, of course, making out. If Tony wasn't still in a delicate state, he'd have taken Ginny's bag and thrown it at them. As it was, all he could do was glower. "You got a water bottle in that thing?"

"No," she answered, mouth set in a moue of disappointment. "I should start carrying one all the time though. Maybe even a spray bottle."

"Good idea - then we could train 'em. I like the way you think Ginny." _That_ was what got Tony to drag his mouth away from Stevie's, an excited but suspicious light flaring to life in his eyes.

"Ginny?" he asked, perking and looking for all the world like a dog presented with a tasty treat. "When did he start calling you Ginny, Pep?"

"At the same time I started calling him Jamie, Tony." Bucky sorta loved when her voice went all sweet like that - it was like honeyed poison, and anyone who kept pushing was either brave or stupid. Tony was a bit of both but still subsided, grinning widely. Steve, however, was a different story. On hearing the word 'Jamie', he'd whipped his head around, staring at Bucky with his brows practically disappearing into his hair. Bucky scowled, Stevie's mouth quirked up at one corner and then opened - Bucky needed to put that shit to a stop right away.

"You try usin' it, punk, and I'll pull out the baby book to show Tony next time I'm here. Swear to fucking God." He was smug in the face of Stevie's horror, Tony's interest, and Ginny's clear, bright laughter. "That's what I thought. What are we watching?" As everyone else debated the merits of various shows and movies, Bucky just steered Ginny to another couch and sat her down. He didn't give a fuck what they watched - he'd just wanted the company. He'd been craving a friendly voice all day, but hadn't been able to admit it until early afternoon. Even then, he'd hesitated and tried to talk himself out of it - fighting with your own brain was _such_ a bitch.

Once Ginny was sitting, he took her bag and deposited it on the same hook he hung his leather jacket on. He grabbed two beers - one the craft beer that he liked, the other the shitty, disgusting brand that he'd noticed Ginny preferred. By the time he'd ambled back to the living room, the woman had her shoes off, color high in her cheeks as she argued passionately with Tony about why the original Star Trek was better than Deep Space Nine. From the grin Tony was trying to hide, he suspected the genius was purposefully bating her. Steve looked patiently bored, an expression he'd perfected over years of listening to Bucky go on and on about various elements of science fiction geek-dom. Bucky paused to take in the lay of the land, handed Ginny her beer, then plopped down and threw his own hat into the ring. He favored The Next Generation himself, and argued in favor of Captain Picard, who was just the fucking best.

By the time their Chinese food arrived, they'd planned a weekend for the three of them (and Rhodey if he was in-country at the time) to binge watch as much Star Trek as they could fit in - Tony thought they should take a week, Ginny thought that would be irresponsible, and Bucky was up for whatever as long as it happened before classes started. Steve's look had gone from patient to annoyed, and he knew they were wearing on the last of his best friend's nerves. Stevie could only take so much.

So while they dished out the food, he suggested they put on an artsy indie film he knew Stevie liked, one that Ginny and Steve instantly agreed to. Tony groaned, so he shared a commiserating look with the genius before knocking back half of his beer. They got through dinner and most of the movie without incident, and Bucky had stretched his arms over the back of the couch. If he noticed that Ginny was drifting slowly closer, he decided not to bring it up. They were maybe on the verge of starting... something. He wasn't going to startle her into pulling back, but he wasn't in much of a hurry to get things going either. He'd rather let it happen naturally.

Unfortunately, his best friend was a little fucking piece of shit.

"Hey," Stevie ventured over the movie, sounding way too innocent for Bucky's liking. "I meant to tell you earlier - I like what you did with your hair, Buck. But I thought you hated hair sticks. And don't those ones belong to Pepper?" Tony gave a gasp that was full of pure fucking delight while Bucky groaned and tipped his head back. Pepper had put her forehead in one hand, and Stevie was probably wearing that shit-eating grin he had when he was being especially trollish. When Bucky glanced over to their couch, Tony was wriggling like an overexcited puppy - not a good sign. The only reason he wasn't already going with the comments, lewd suggestions or jokes (a few genuine words of encouragement thrown in here and there as well) was because he couldn't decide where to start.

Knowing that discretion was the better part of valor, he looked over at Ginny. "If we make a run for it to our rooms, there's no way they could keep up." Her head snapped upright and she looked over at him, hope bright in her eyes. When he quirked a brow and offered her a hand, she nodded and took it. As one, they stood and raced toward the elevator, Tony and Stevie both shouting after them in an effort to get as much teasing in as they could. It all really just confirmed one thing in Bucky's mind.

Hair sticks were the instrument of the Goddamned Devil.

**Author's Note:**

> My Tumblr is [here](tahlreth.tumblr.com)! I'm accepting prompts for any Marvel or Dragon Age pairing, but prompts I've already gotten and WinterHeels prompts will take precedence. <3


End file.
